The cruise brand Oceania boasts that you'll enjoy 'the finest cuisine at sea' when you join one of its cruises. We stepped on board the Vista ship for a 'Culinary Luminaries' cruise to check out the claim and enjoyed a voyage of delicious discoveries. 

1. One of the most interesting foodie highlights was an on-board cookery class in Vista's magnificent 'Culinary Center' on Deck 14, where there are daily sessions using state-of-the-art equipment. Our class was delivered by chef Lori Powell, a recipe developer, editor and food stylist for some of the most iconic North American food and lifestyle magazines. During our morning lesson we learned how to make delicate courgette fritters, little North African spiced chicken parcels called b'stilla and a rather fierce and boozy mint julep. 

2. A VIP dinner hosted by Oceania's executive culinary directors Alexis Quaretti and Eric Barale, both inducted into the prestigious Master Chefs of France association. Their presence on this particular cruise elevates the whole experience for the guests who are most interested in food and wine. The VIP dinner, 'French Food & Wine' saw them plating up amazing dishes including a dainty potato fritter with a dollop of Sturia Oscietra caviar and a rich, sticky braised beef short rib in a glossy wine sauce. All the courses were paired with excellent wines from Gérard Bertrand, a renowned winemaker in the South of France.

3. The menu at Red Ginger, one of the ship's speciality restaurants. Here the Pan-Asian menu is brimming with umami-rich temptation. Should it be the crispy duck and watermelon salad? The tuna tataki? Or the lobster pad Thai? Why not all three? Every dish we tried was loaded with flavour and delicate spice – and absolutely delicious.

4. The Oceania Gala Brunch – served each trip in the Grand Dining Room – is the stuff of cruise aficionado legend. The huge restaurant is turned into an incredible buffet service with gaggles of chefs in their whites and teetering hats delivering the most sumptuous meals to guests. From towers of fresh seafood including lobster and caviar to platters of exquisite patisserie, fresh handmade pasta rolled out in front of you with fresh tomato sauces ladled on top to slices of tender beef and other roast meats, it's a triumph of five-star food service.

5. Browsing the fascinating Mercato Centrale in Livorno with chef Lori Powell and a local guide learning about the local food products, how they are used and plenty of fun, frivolous foodie facts to regale friends with at our next dinner party. Best of all was stocking up with Italian cooking essentials from the deli stalls including bags of chickpea flour, fresh walnuts, rich locally made pestos and more. 

6. Every couple of nights there is a themed 'Market Dinner' in the ship's casual Terrace Café when local products and delicacies from the most recently visited port such as cheeses, fruits and seafood are served alongside recipes from that particular region. It's a fun and exciting way to sample lots of different specialities.

7. Deep-fried mussels were a new experience for me, but a hugely enjoyable starter to a memorable meal on an excursion to Lake Bracciano, where after exploring local village Trevignano Romano we sat down to a lakeside lunch starring local wines and ingredients.

8. Slivers of fennel salami and wafer-thin slices of cured ham, bowls of olives, slices of salty pecorino cheese and hunks of crusty bread. All collected by chef Lori Powell at the Livorno Mercato Centrale and laid out for a very special lunch at Villa Dianella, deep in the Tuscan countryside, to be served with the villa's own wines before the head chef Alessio Bagnoli cooked us a splendid lunch.

9. Breakfast each morning at the Aquamar restaurant where the healthier options offset all the fine dining we indulged in for the rest of the day. We loved the juice shots, the superfood smoothies, the avo-on-toast options and the homemade granolas.

10. First-class Italian food is served at the smart and sophisticated Toscana restaurant, another of Vista's speciality dining experiences. The osso buco Milanese was the best I have ever eaten, a tender portion of meat, fragranced with rosemary and on a bed of saffron risotto with just the right amount of bite. A triumph!